Date of Conferral

2019

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Candace B. Adams

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gather the perspectives of English as a Second Language (ESL) students to determine their views regarding content delivery and assessments in their content’ specific classes. This case study is based on the concept that students’ perspectives should be considered when planning content delivery and assessments for ESL students at Constitution College (pseudonym), a 4-year college in South Florida. ESL college students receive content and assessments in the same manner as native English - speaking students at Constitution College after completing an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program. Even after this program, some still had trouble with reading comprehension. For students to be successful in their content-specific classes, they must understand the subject matter. Individual interviews were used to gather the perspectives of 13 ESL college students enrolled in EAP courses, selected through purposeful sampling. The questions related to connections between content delivery, assessments, and academic struggles in content-specific classes. As data were collected, they were organized according to recurring themes, common patterns, and categories. The findings suggested that colleges need to ensure that instructors are fully prepared to provide quality instruction during EAP courses for ESL students. If this suggestion is enacted, these ESL students will also benefit as they will be able to use English for academic and social mobility change. The findings will also provide information specific to Constitution College that will add to the body of knowledge regarding the perspectives of ESL college students in the United States.

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